☕ Weekend Conversation:
Living well after 60 isn’t about chasing youth or pretending we’re still thirty. It’s about adapting, learning and making the most of every stage of life.
This week, three everyday conversations reminded me just how much life changes as we get older—from the face looking back at us in the mirror, to the small print on a travel insurance policy, and even planning a dinner party with friends.
Living Well After 60: The Face in the Mirror
As I’ve advanced in years, my face has started telling stories I’d rather it kept to itself.
Hair now seems determined to grow everywhere I don’t want it, while quietly disappearing from the places I wish it would stay.
My eyebrows appear to have ambitions of becoming a separate life form, while my ears and nose seem to have joined some secret hair-growing competition.
Shaving isn’t as straightforward as it once was, either. The lumps, bumps, skin tags, and the odd age spot mean a traditional wet shave requires a little more concentration than it did twenty years ago.
I still love the closeness of a razor, but there are days when common sense takes over.
That’s probably why I have a Philips, a Remington, and a Braun electric shaver sitting in the bathroom. Each seems to have its own purpose depending on what sort of face greets me in the mirror that morning.
Sharon laughs, but she’s fighting her own battles! The tweezers seem to come out more often these days for the odd stubborn chin hair that appears from nowhere, and her eyebrows also develop a mind of their own if left unattended for too long.
And, of course, there are the reminders of our younger years. Like many of my generation, I spent countless hours on golf courses convinced that sunshine was simply something to be enjoyed, not something to be protected against.
Sun cream wasn’t part of the routine back then. Today, those years have left me with a few age spots and moles that I keep a close eye on—and ask my GP to check whenever something changes.
None of this is about trying to look thirty again.
It’s simply about looking after the face that has travelled with us for more than sixty years, and making sure it stays as healthy as the rest of us.
Living Well After 60: Travel Insurance and the Small Print
Our second conversation this weekend came about after chatting with friends who recently returned from a holiday having learnt a very expensive lesson.
Like many of us, they’d bought travel insurance believing they were fully covered.
Unfortunately, when something unexpected happened, they discovered that not everything had been declared in quite the way the insurer expected.
Without going into their personal details, it was enough to make Sharon and I look at each other and say, “Perhaps we ought to check our own policy before we book anything else.”
With trips to Crete and Thailand on the horizon, our travel insurance is about to come under the microscope.
Having a pacemaker means I already know I’ll need to answer more medical questions than I did twenty years ago, but it also made me wonder what else insurers expect us to declare:
- Is it just major operations?
- What about high blood pressure or cholesterol tablets?
- Diabetes or joint replacements?
- Previous cancer treatments?
- Sleep apnoea or even anxiety medication?
The list soon becomes longer than most of us expect.
It’s easy to focus on finding the cheapest premium, but the better question is: “If something happens 2,000 miles from home, will this policy really look after us?” That’s a very different question.
Over the years, I’ve used Staysure for several trips, and as someone with a pacemaker, I’ve found their medical screening process straightforward.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right insurer for everyone, but it shows there are companies specialising in older travellers and pre-existing medical conditions. Other insurers that many over-60s consider include AllClear and Saga.
The golden rule: Compare cover, not just price, and make sure the policy matches your exact medical circumstances and travel plans.
Living Well After 60: The Evolving Dinner Party
The third conversation this weekend started with something Sharon and I genuinely love—dinner parties. For many years, we’ve enjoyed sharing an evening with friends around the table. Good food, good wine, and even better conversation.
But as the years have passed, dinner parties have become slightly more complicated.
Once upon a time, the only questions were:
- “How many people are coming?”
- “What are we cooking?”
- “Which wine shall we open?”
Now? There’s a bit more to consider:
- One friend is watching their weight.
- Another is managing cholesterol.
- Someone else has to watch their salt intake.
- Another has cut back on alcohol.
Suddenly, planning a weekend menu requires almost as much thought as planning a trip to Thailand!
We are lucky to have a wonderful group of friends. Six couples, taking turns throughout the year, each hosting one dinner party.
It’s become one of those traditions that we value more as time goes on.
Our turn is coming up after we return from Crete, so naturally my thoughts have turned towards what to cook.
And because we will have just returned from Greece, it got me thinking about Mediterranean cooking.
For years, I’ve automatically reached for Italian olive oil. Perhaps that’s because Italian food has always played a big part as my children had an Italian grandfather.
But after visiting Greece, I started wondering…
Have I been overlooking Greek olive oil?
Greece has a huge olive-growing tradition, and many Greek dishes rely on olive oil as one of their key ingredients.
Is it different from Italian olive oil?
Does it have a stronger flavour?
Is one better for cooking while another is better for dipping with bread, salads or finishing dishes?
Perhaps the real lesson is that Mediterranean cooking has always been about simple ingredients:
- good olive oil
- fresh vegetables
- fish
- lean meats
- herbs
- sensible portions
Which actually fits rather well with how many of us want to eat after 60.
What is your favourite dinner party dish that always gets people talking?
And are you an Italian olive oil person, or have you discovered Greek olive oil?
Looks like I’ve got another excuse to do a little research during our trip.
Ropho Reflection
Living well after 60 isn’t about expensive products, perfect health or giving up the things we enjoy.
It’s about making small adjustments as life changes.
Looking after ourselves rather than assuming getting older means simply putting up with things.
Taking the time to read the small print before we travel.
Cooking fresh, simple food that brings friends and family together.
None of those things are dramatic on their own, but together they help us enjoy life with confidence, wherever the next adventure takes us.
Now it’s over to you.
Which of this weekend’s three conversations struck a chord with you?
I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.
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